Linotype-machine.



PATENTED-MAR. 12, 1 907. 0. T. LIBBY. LINOTYPB MACHINE. APPLICATIONEILED JULY 20.1903.

lllllllll CHARLES T. LIBBY, 0F PORTLAND, MAINE.

LINOTYPYE-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 12, 190?.

Application filed July 20,1903. Serial Nn- 166,275.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. LIBBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Linotype-Machines;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in machines of the generalcharacter of the socalled Mergenthaler linotype machine shown anddescribed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 436,532, datedSeptember 16, 1890.

It relates to means for reciprocating the assembling-elevator byautomatic actuating mechanism set in motion by the operator each time itacts. It also. relates to means for reciprocating theassembling-elevator by automatic actuating mechanism that runscontinuously and independently of the operator.

It also relates to means for changing the machine from the former classto the latter and back again.

It also relates to means for controlling the automatic actuatedmechanism and for bringing it into action at the will of the operator.

It also relates to certain details of construction hereinafter describedandspecific ally explained.

The existing machine is started by the linedeli-very carriage beingreleased by the putoperator does by a han has assembled a matrix-line,and the machine automatically stops after casting the line thus sent up,unless the next line has already been sent up, in which case thestartand-stop mechanism of the machine is thrown out and its maindriving-shaft instead of stopping runs continuously. By my improvedmechanism the assembling-elevator is put up automatically and is eitherset in operation by the operator each time he has assembled a.matrix-line or at his option the line-delivery-carriage shaft on itsreturn through intermediate mechanism starts the assemblingelevator,thus making the machine constantrunning irrespective of the operator.

In the drawings herewith accompanying and making a part of thisapplication, Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of theMergenthaler machine, showing my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 isa sectional detail view of. the latches, their operatinglevers andsprings, the position of the several parts in both views being thatwhich they occupy at the instant the assemblingelevator releases theline-delivery carriage; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the latches andtheir springs.

Same reference characters refer to like parts.

In said drawings, A represents thebase; B, the front of the frame; C,the line-delivery carriage; D, the line-delivery-carriage lever; E, theline-delivery-carriage shaft; F, the assembling-elevator; G, thekeyboard; H, a pivoted latch for retaining the line-delivery carriage;I, the line-delivery-carriage-releass ing pin; J, the needle on theassembling-clef vator for operating said releasing-ping K, the hook forsupporting the assembling-elevator; L, the assembling-elevator-releasingbar; M, the assembling-elevator lever, and N theassembling-elevator-lever link. These parts may be substantially thesame and operate in substantially the same manner as in the aforesaidMergenthaler machine.

In carrying out my invention I mount inside the column of the machine across-shaft 1 of the same diameter as the line-delivery shaft, at rightangles with it, extending to the right, and connect the two bybevel-gear 2 in such manner that the rocking motion of the line-deliveryshaft leftward and rightward, as in the existing machine, imparts to mycross-shaft a rocking motion at right angles thereto-viz frontward andrearward. Only segments are necessary, because the linesdelivery shaftonly moves about fortyfive degrees and back again. On this crossshaft Iplace adjustably a lever 3, extending downward. I face the bevel-gear sothat when the line-delivery-carriage shaft makes its first or leftwardmovement the bottom end of the lever, which is forked, comes forward,returning rearward when the line delivery shaft returns to the right.The fork of the forked lever reaches down on both sides of a threadedhook 4, adapted to have a rearward and frontward movement through a holein bracket 5, which is fastened to the back side of the column, rearwardimpelled by said forked lever, frontward drawn by spring 7 belowmentioned. This threaded hook carries two nuts 6 and 8 and check-nuts toeach. Nut 6 is behind bracket 5 and adjustably limits the frontwardmovement of the threaded hook. Nut 8, placed in the path of the forkedlever, adjustably determines the rearward position of the threaded hook.The hook end of the threaded hook hooks into the rearward end of a closespiral spring 7, similar to the balancing-spring on the existingmachine, but more efficient. The rear end of the spring is elongated soas to pass through to the inside of the frame of the machine, where ithooks into the threaded hook. The front end of spring 7 attaches to thedownward arm of bell-crank 2-6 on the assembling-elevator-lever shaft,the other arm thereof reaching under the lever for the purpose ofraising the elevator when the spring contracts.

On the bottom of the assembling-elevator I screw a shoulder or ledge 9,extending front and back and curved slightly on top to fit theholding-face of the latch below mentioned.

Under the assembling-elevator I place a bracket 10, which fastens to theframe of the machine, preferably having an arm at the bottom endreaching to the right, so as to fasten by the same screws that hold thekeyboard in place. On the bracket I place a latch 11, adapted to engagethe ledge, screwed to the bottom of the assembling-elevator. This latchI arrange to be doubly controlled, as specified below.

On the end of the line-delivery shaft or i the. hub of the line-deliverylever, on its left edge, I place a stud 12. I On the stud I mountloosely a lever 13, adapted to move in a vertical path and of the rightlength and so offset as to lay across the tail of the latch. On the topedge of said loose lever 13 I fasten one end of a flat spring 15, sopositioned that the free end of said spring is in the path of eccentricscrew 14, mounted on the righthand edge of the end of theline-delivery-earriage shaft or hub. The strength of this fiat springwhen impinged by said eccentric screw upon the return movement of theline- .delivery-carriage shaft is sufficient to unlatch latch 11 undersome circumstances and under other circumstances not strong enough, ashereinafter described. the latter circumstances when the eccentric screwengages the flat spring the latter yields and closes downtoward theloose lever. The latter position of the parts is shown in Fig. 2. Uponthe withdrawal of 17 by the operator spring 15 thereupon actuates looselever 13 to unlatch latch 11. The screw is made eccentric in order toadjust the time of its unlatching the latch to the moment when theline-delivery carriage has returned.

Under the tail of the latch I place one end of an intermediate lever 17,its other end enaging one end of the key-lever 18. In mm of the otherend of the intermediate lever I place a flat spring 19, strong enough toUnder up the elevator.

raise the key-lever and at the same time to overcome the loose-leverspring. By this mechanism the loose lever can throw out the latch whenthe intermediate lever is away; otherwise not.

On the bracket below the latch I place another latch 20, arranged whennot thrown out to engage the intermediate lever, and I extend the tailof the main latch to engage the tail of the intermediate lever-latch. Iadapt the intermediate lever to go lower when put down by the key-leveror when locked down by the clasp hereinafter mentioned than when putdown by the fall of the assembling-elevator or by the return of theeccentric screw. I cut the holding-face of the intermediate lever-latchso low as to latch in only when the intermediate lever is in its lowestposition, and I so cut the length of its holding-face with relation tothe length of the tail of the main latch that the intermediate lever islet up by its latch at the same instant or a little later than theassembling-elevator. Under the intermediate lever-latch I place a fiatspring 21, tending to hold it latched. By this arrangement theintermediate lever is latched down if put down by the key-lever when themain latch is latched, otherwise not, and if thus latched it isunlatched when the loose lever or the elevator throws out the-mainlatch.

The two latch-springs 16 and 21 combined I make weaker than theloose-leverspring 15 but the main-latch spring 16 and the inter mediatelever-spring 19 combined I make stronger than the loose-lever s ringcombined with the weight of the keyever.

, At right angles to the key-lever I place a clasp 22, adapted by meansof its shoulder, which when swung to the left overreaches the top edgeof the key-lever, to lock it down. The clasp, key-lever, intermediatelever, and two latches are all pivotally mounted on the bracket, themain latch in a slot in the bracket, and the intermediate lever-latch ina slotin a spur 28 on the bracket. On the top of the bracket I make ashoulder to prevent the latch going too far over when the elevator isup.

By adiusting the forked lever on the crossshaft and the nut engaging thefork the elevating-springnamely, 7when the forked lever is in itsextreme rearward position is adiusted to have sufficient tension tocarry By adiusting the nut near the end of the threaded hook theelevatingspring is adiusted in its second position, so that its tensionwhen the forked lever is away from nut 8 is adapted to letting theelevator fall down without jar. The elevating-spring is adapted to havethe required difference in strength from the change in its anchoragebetween nuts 8 and 6, due to the movement of the forked lever over aboutone-third of its course or less, keeping Within the movement of theline-delivery carriage in clearing the matrix-line from theassembling-elevator and letting the spring down to its second positionbefore hook K is disengaged. These adjustments are aided by an auxiliarybalancing and adjusting spring 23 not, however, essential, anchored atone end to a threaded hook 24, set in a pin 25, set in the frame of themachine and at the other end attached to bell-crank 26.

The elevating-spring I prefer to attach nearer the shaft than theassembling-elevator-balancing spring in the existing machine, the otherspring farther.

The machine thus constructed may erated in three ways:

First, when the operator touches the key every time a line is ready. Inthis case the machine is in ready position when the forked lever is inits extreme rearward position, holding the elevating-spring at itsgreater tension, the elevator latched down, the occentric screw pressingon the loose lever and that on the tail of the main latch, but not hardenough to throw it out so long as the intermediate lever is pressing upon the tail of it. The operator touching the key when his line is readylowers the end of the intermediate lever. The latch follows it, actuatedby the loose-lever spring, and is thus thrown out. The elevating-springcontracts, a direct pull between nut 8 and the downward arm ofbell-crank 26 raising the elevator. The elevator arrives up and releasesthe linedelivery carriage, which starts over to the left. At this momentthe forked lever, which is actuated by the line-delivery-carriage shaft,starts frontward, and thus begins to release the tension of theelevating-s ring, and the eccentric screw begins to with draw from theloose lever. The line-delivery carriage has traveled about one-third ofits course over before the matrix-line has cleared theassembling-elevator. After the line has cleared, the releasing-bar thenknocks ofl the assembling-elevator hook and lets the assembling-elevator 'drop. Before this happens the forked lever has let theelevating-spring down to its second position, held by the nut 6 engagingthe back of the bracket 5, and has cleared its nut. The eccentric screwis passing an idle course, with the loose lever left behind. The latchis in. The elevator falls, its fall broken by the elevating-spring inits second position. It arrives down, throwing out the main latch,pushing down the intermediate lever, but not far enough to latch, andalso throwing out the intermediate latch and letting up the intermediatelever if latched down. Nothing happens while the line-delivery carriagecompletes its course over and about two-thirds of its way back. Theforked lever then ree'ngages its nut and gradually returns theelevating-spring to its greater tension.

be op- The eccentric screw engages the loose-lever spring and presses011 it but the latch is held in by the intermediate lever. All parts arenow in the same position as when the operator touched the key.

The second method of operation is when the operator hits the key beforethe line-delivery carriage gets back. At such time the main latch is in,as the eccentric screw is away from the loose lever, and the intermediate latch is only held out by its nose pressin g against the side ofthe intermediate lever. The operator touches the key, lowering theintermediate lever from under the main latch, which, however, remainsin, being affected only by its own spring. The intermediate lever-latchlatches the intermediate lever' down, leaving the key down. Thissituation continues until the line-delivery shaft reit turns. Theeccentric screw then engages the loose lever, throwing out both latches.The elevator starts up. The intermediate lover and key come up. Thesituation now is the same as if the elevator had been released bytouching the key with the line-delivery carriage back.

The third method of operation is when the key-lever is locked down,thereby locking the intermediate lever out of action. This leaves thelatch controlled only by the loose lever. The operation under thiscondition resembles the second method, as each return of theline-delivery shaft throws out the latch, leaving the burden on theoperator to have his line ready to go up in readiness for that. If badcopy or other interruption prevents such readiness, the operatorreleases the key-lever, thereby bringing the intermediate. lever againinto action, by which step an instant change to the first methodv ofoperating the machine is effected.

The advantages of my improved machine are as follows It is optional withthe operator to have it either a constant-running or a start-and-stopmachine. The former method is valuable to the large number of operatorswho are able to set news measure to the full speed of the machine, andwho are thus saved the labor and nervous strain of putting up theassembling-elevator and watching the movement of the machine for theproper time of doing so-in fact, have nothing'left to do but to be suretheir line is set before the elevator goes up and then enjoying an instants relaxation and an opportunity to glance at copy while theassembling-elevator automatically goes up and returns. Furthermore,operators who are otherwise unable to set lines to the full speed of themachine will have their speed increased, because my lmproved machineWlll save all 1nterruption of their attention to copy caused by usingthe hand-lever to put up the assembling-elevator and the time while theelevator is passing up and back will enable them to be all ready to setthe next line immediately the elevator is returned. Upon anyinterruption inv completing a line of mats the operator may instantlychange the machine to the start-and-stop form by throwing off the clasp.

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim 1. In alinotype-machine, in combination with the vertically-movableassembling-elevator, mechanism of varying force efficient alternately toraise the elevator and counterbalance its fall by gravity, means toperiod ically hold down and release said elevator.

2. In a linotype-machine, in combination, an assembling-elevator,elevator-reciprocating mechanism, means for alternately taking away fromand restoring to said reciprocating mechanism the force to raise saidelevator and means for periodically detaining the elevator at either endof its movement.

3. In a linotype-machine, in combination, an assembling-elevator,mechanism adapted in one position to raise said elevator and .in anotherposition to let it fall without jar, means actuated by a moving part ofthe machine to shift said mechanism alternately between the twopositions.

4. In a linotype-machine, in combination, an assemblingelevator, aspring provided with one anchorage from which it is adapted to raisesaid elevator, and with another anchorage from which it is adapted tolet the elevator fall without jar, means to alternately shift saidspring from one anchorage to the other.

5. In a linotype-machine, in combination, a vertically-movableassembling-elevator, a spring for raising said elevator, means for taking away the strength of said spring enough and quick enough to let saidelevator return, means for temporarily holding the elevator down andcontrolling means.

6. In a linotypemachine, in combination, the assembling-elevator, aspring tending to raise said elevator, means for periodically takingaway the force of said spring enough merely to break the fall of saidelevator, a latch for holding up said elevator temporarily, means forautomatically throwing out said latch and means for regulating saidspring.

7. In a linotype-machine, in combination, the line-delivery shaft, alatch, three springs, the first spring tending to hold said latch in, alever also adapted to yieldingly hold said latch in actuated by thesecond spring, adever on the line-delivery shaft yieldingly actuated bysaid shaft and tending to throw said latch out through the medium of thethird spring, said third spring being strong enough to overpower thefirst spring above mentioned but not the first and second combined, akey-lever adapted to be operated manually to withdraw thefirst-mentioned lever, whereby said latch is unlatched when both theline-delivery shaft is acting and the first-mentioned lever withdrawn.

8. In a linotype-machine, an assemblingelevator, elevator-reciprocatingmechanism, a latch adapted to'temporarily hold down said elevator, twomeans for holding said latch in engagement and means for overpoweringsaid two means successively.

9. In a linotype-machine, in combination, an assembling-elevator, meansfor raising said elevator, a latch under double control for holding saidelevator down, one adapted to act arbitrarily, the other automatically,and means by which the assembling-elevator, when the arbitrary releasingmechanism has beenbrought into operation before the automatic releasingmechanism has acted, remains waiting until the latter acts.

10. In alinotype-machine, in combination, an assembling-elevator, meansto raise said elevator, a latch to hold said assembling-elevator down,two levers to operate said latch adversely, one actuated automaticallyby some moving part of the machine to throw it out, the other actuatedby a spring to hold it in, means to withdraw the latter operatedmanually.

11. In a linotype-maehine, in combina tion, the assembling-elevator,means for raising and letting it down, a latch to hold it down twolevers acting adversely adapted to operate said latch, two springstending to hold said levers in engagement with the latch, one levertending to hold the latch in, a spring engaging the latch with strengthenough only to hold the latch in when both levers are away, the otherlever operated automatically, to throw it out and actuated by the linedelivery shaft, the latter when both are in operation being the weaker,and the former being adapted to be operated manually and fitted with alatch adapted to prevent its re engaging before the assembling-elevatorhas gone up.

12. In a linotype-machine, in combination, the line-delivery shaft, alatch, a spring tending to hold said latch in, a lever also adapted toyieldingly hold said latch in actuated by another spring, a lever on thelinedelivery shaft yieldingly actuated by said shaft and tending tothrow said latch out, strong enough to overpower the first spring abovementioned but not the two combined, a key-lever adapted to be operatedmanually to withdraw the first-mentioned lever, another latch adapted tolatch the first-mentioned lever down 0 erated adversely by a springunder it to ho d it in, and the tail of' the first-mentioned latch overit to throw it out, whereby the latch when the first-mentioned lever ismanually withdrawn while the lever actuated by the line-delivery shaftis not acting remains latched until the lever on the line-delivery shaftacts and then is unlatched.

ICC

13. In a linotype-machine, in combination, the assembling-elevator,mechanism adapted to raise the elevator and let it down, mechanismdoubly controlled for latching the elevator down, mechanism forarbitrarily releasing the elevator, a hand-operated clasp adapted tolock the last-mentioned mechanism out of action, the line-deliverycarriage and its shaft, mechanism actuated by the latter to release theelevator.

14. In a linotype-machine, in combination, an assembling-elevator,mechanism for reciprocating the same, a latch adapted to hold theelevator down, a spring tending to hold said latch in, a lever alsoadapted to yieldingly hold said latch in a spring to actuate said lever,the line-delivery carriage and its shaft, a lever on the line-deliveryshaft yieldingly actuated by said shaft and tending to throw said latchout, strong enough to overpower the first spring above mentioned but notthe two combined, a key-lever adapted to be operated manually towithdraw the first-mentioned lever, another latch adapted to latch thefirst-mentioned lever down and to be thrown out by the tail thereof, aspring adapted to hold said latch in, a clasp manually operated to lockthe key-lever down.

15. In a linotype-machine, in combination, the assembling-elevator, aspring tending to raise said elevator, a latch for holding said elevatorup, means for automatically throwing" out said latch, allowing theelevator to fall, and means for controlling the ac tion of saidelevator-spring, whereby the same may act to break the fall of theelevator.

16. In a linotype-machine, the verticallymovable assembling-elevator, aspring with both ends thereof subject to change position, the attachingend changing with the movements of the elevator and the anchorage endshifting from one hold to another hold adjustable to give said .springin the one position the necessary tension to raise the elevator and inthe other position tension enough merely to let it fall without jar, incombination with devices for operating said spring and controlling saidelevator.

17. In a linotype-machine, an attachment for operating theassembling-elevator comprising a spring and means for tensioning sameenough to raise the elevator, for holding said spring at said tensionwhile the elevator rises and for letting the spring down to a tensionsufficient merely to let it fall without jar, operating substantially asdescribed.

18; In a linotype-machine, the verticallymovable assembling-elevator andautomatic actuating mechanism therefor, in combination with aspring-pressed latch to periodically hold said elevator down, a leveroperated by a moving part of the machine to throw out said latch, keymechanism adapted to block the releasing motion of said leverapltomatically and to be thrown out manua y.

19. In a linotype-machine, an assembling elevator, elevator-actuatingmechanism, a spring-pressed latch for periodically holding down saidelevator, automatically-actuated mechanism for operating said latch, adevice for automatically blocking the last-named mechanism adapted to bemanually withdrawn.

20. In a linotype-machine, in combination, the assembling-elevator,elevator-actuated mechanism, a spring-pressed latch for periodicallyholding down said elevator, automatically-actuated mechanism foroperating said latch, a device for automatically blocking the last-namedmechanism adapted to be manually withdrawn, a device for looking thelast-named device out of action.

21. In a linotype-machine, the assemblingelevator and automaticactuating mechanism therefor, in combination with a latch adapted tohold the elevator down, mechanism for automatically unlatching saidlatch and devices for automatically blocking and manually releasing thelast-mentioned mechanism.

2 In a linotype-machine, the assembling elevator and automatic actuatingmechanism therefor, in combination with a latch adapted to hold theelevator down, mechanism for automatically unlatching said latch,devices for automatically blocking and manually releasing the unlatchingmechanism, and devices connected with the blocking device for manuallylooking it out of and letting it into action.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses, this 18th day of July, 1903.

CHARLES T. LIBBY.

In presence of- FRANK H. HAsKELL, FLORENCE I. THOMPSON.

